Safety lock for roller beds



July 7; 1931. G. w. BARNES 1,812,853

SAFETY LOCK FOR ROLLER BEDS Filed May 9, 1927 v w gags.

Patented July 7, 1931 in UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE w. BARNES, or KENOSHA, wrsconsm, ASSIGNOR T SIMMONS COMPANY, on EW YORK, n. Y., A conrona'rron or DELAWARE SAFETY LOOK FOR ROLLER BEDS Application filed May 9, 1927. Serial No. 189,818.

This invention relates to safety locks for roller beds and deals with that class of bed in-which the main bed frame is pivotally mounted on a portable wheeled carriage of Li relatively small base area, so that the entire bed structure may be'wheeled into a closet, or other convenient place for storage, when the bedstead is not in use,

In such bedsteads, the main bed fram which is not usually provided with anti-friction casters atjthe end, which engages the floor when the bedstead is extended, may or maynot be provided with springs or other counter-weighting device to facilitate the folding of the bedstead. In any case, after the 'bedhas been unfolded it may be neces sary' or desirable to' shift the position of the same in the room, and when doing so, horizontal force may be applied to the; upstanding portion of the carriage which forms the head frame ofthe bedstead; Such head frame may-be a fixed part of the carriage. It will be obvious that because of the relativelyfshort wheel base of the carriage from front to rear, when such force is suddenly applied, and'particularly when the bed frame is not provided with casters on its outer end, the resistance to the movement of the bedstead as a;whole, over the surface of the floor of the-room will result in a tendency to overfered with the sale of roller beds. 'It has been proposed to employ manually operated devices to lock the bed frame inextended position, but so far as I am aware, no-one has proposed or suggested a device inwhich the bedstead is automatically made safe against such over-tipping or overturning of the carriage.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an arrangement by which improper or accidental overturning of the carriage or improper folding of the carriage onto the bed frame is prevented; to provide an arrangement which shall be automatic in character and requires no additional movements or manipulation on the part of the operator;

' application of my invention to 'a roller bed of the counterweighted type,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the carriage and associated parts.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of certain portions ofFig. 1, showing the carriage in two positions, and

Fig. 4 is a view of certain of the parts in Fig. 1,-but showing the bed frame in vertical or folded position.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 represents a carriage, which is mounted upon four large diameter, smooth running caster wheels, the front wheels being designated 11 and the rear wheels being designated 12. The carriage is made with a rear frame member 13 which extends upwardly above the mattress of the bedstead when the latter is extended, and constitutes the head frame of the bedstead. The bed frame 14 of the usual type, and of the customary length, includes a pair of side rails from which depend a pair of small brackets 15. These small brackets 15 are fitted with bearings 16, which pivot on pins 17 secured in the side members 18 of the carriage 10.

In the present instance, the bed frame 14, which is of the coil spring type, is fitted with the usual cross slats 19 and coil springs 20, on which the mattress is supported. A counterweight 21 is provided at the inner end of the bed frame so as to assist the operator during the folding movement of the bed frame about the pivots 17. Suitable cross members as at 22 may be furnished to maintain the side members at the proper spacing.

Describing now the improved safety device, it will be seen that on one of the side members of the folding bed frame, there is mounted a headed pin or rivet 23 from which pin 23, there is pivotally hung or supported 25. It will be observed that the upper'end *ing or unfeldingmovement of the bed frame pivot 17'. The linkpivot 24' is positioned in; the bed frame 14: adjacent the pivot 17 andis located above the pin 26 so that when. the

parts are in the position shown in Fig.1, the stop or pin 26011 the carriage is located in the lower end of an oblique portion 27" at the lower end of the vertical portion of theslot of the oblique slot 27 extends upwardly and laterally past the lower end of the vertical portion of the slot -so notch 28. V r

Ordinarily, as long as the carriage rest-. ing upon all fours, i. e., while it maintainsiits normal'vertical position, there will ber-no tendency for the pin 26 to enter the notch.

" 28, as when the bed frame is folded-onpivots 17, the'position of the'upperpin'23 with ref-' erence to a vertical line passing-through the headed pin 26, will not change materially,

and the pin 26 will therefore followaround the corner 29 and intothe vertical: portion 30 of the slot 25 without entering the notchg28.

It is understood that thelinkj2thangs freely by gravity from the pin 23, and normally tends to hang in the positionshown in- Fig.1 1. Afterthelinlrpivot 23 oommences' to move'down into the position shown in Fig. 1- of the drawings,the stop pin 26will cause the link 24 to assume an 'off -verti cal-position, but since, by that time the 'pin 26' has moved above. the notch 28,said pin 26 will therea'fte'rslide up into the upper end of the slot, as indicated in'Fig.4, and'the folding movement of the bed frame on the carriage will not be interfered with. a a

Assuming however, that, with the. bed frame in extended or unfolded position, it. is desired to move the bedstead .to another part of the room, or if for any other reason force be applied to the-upper part of the-head frame 13 in such direction asqto. push saidupper part towards the footendofZthe bed? frame,*because' of the free running character Y rowor short wheel base between the centers ter of gravity'of thestructureis relatively;

close to the front casters 11-, there may be'a tendency for the carriage to tip over'to'ward the .bed frame into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3. When this occurs, although the relative positions of the pivots 17 and 23 will notchange materially, there will; be on the other hand, a very material shift of the pin 26 rearwardlyfrom the verticalline passing through pivot 23 and this will cause the said pin 26 to move over into the rear notch at the upper end of the'oblique portion 27 of the slot 25. When this occurs, andwhen the as to provide a ,ment thereon, after unfolding the bedstead, since the preventing of the'o'verturning 0r improper folding of the carriage on the bed frame is entirely automatic; Furthermore, there is no interference wlth the normal foldon the carriage, and no extra manipulations onthe vpart ofthe' operator are demanded;

' -The described details of'construjction being illustrative of only a single application of my invention, it will be -understood? that the "scope of the same should be determined;

by reference .to the appended: olw ll ns, $wi i-f claims being. construed as :hroadlyaspossible, consistent withthe state-.of-the art. e i Icl'aim as my invention y In: a roller bed, the combination of; r movable wheeled carriage having. a relative. ly short wheel base," a relatively-long frame pivoted on the carriage and adaptedto swing thereon from vertical folded position; to extended horizontal or unfolded position, a link pivotallyconnectedtosai'd framejandg. freely suspended from: 'itspivot, and a step. on saidicarriag'e, sai-d link-and stopbeing er 'inallytout of operative engagement-so? asnot; interferwith fi l dingvc un o d ng:

of. said bed frame, but adapted to automati cally cooperate to limit accidental; tipping the upper part of saidcarriageinwandly we the bed frameiwhen the latter is in.unfolded position.

2. In a roller bed, combination-ref movable wheeled carriage having arelativelyshortfba'se, a relatively long; bed frame pivoted on the carriageand' adapted'tof swing thereon. from vertical normal folded position to extended horizontal or? unfolded position, a link pivotally suspended from said-frameand a stop on the carriage, adapted, when-the its bed isi'n unfoldedposition;upb l tihpillg of the upper part ofthe carriage towards the bed frameto effectively engage said link and thereby prevent further tipping. of the; carriage,;the; force'of gravity tending tojprevent operative?engagement. of; the latch and the stop during'pivotalmovementofthe frame on the carriage so long as the carriage is maintained in its normal vertical position.

3. In a roller bed, the "combination of a movable wheeled carriage having a: relatively short base, a relatively long bed framepivoted on the carriage and adapted to swing" thereonf'rom vertical norma-lfoldedposition to extended horizontal or unfolded position, a link pivotally suspended from I a point on h t me a i-acen he meipir eand a stop on the carriage below the frame pivot, adapted, when the bed is in unfolded position, upon tipping of the upper part of the carriage towards the bed frame to effectively engage said link and thereby prevent further tipping of the carriage, the force of gravity tending to prevent operative engagement of the latch and the stop during pivotal movement of the bed frame on thecarriage so long as the carriage is maintained'in its normal vertical position.

4. In a roller bed, the combination of a bed frame and a portable carriage on which said bed frame is pivotally mounted so as to be adjustable from vertical folded position to horizontal extended position, and a safety device operative when the bed is in extended position to limit tipping of the carriage inwardly over the adjacent end of V the bed frame, said device comprising a pair of normally slidably interengaging members mounted respectively on said bed frame and on said carriage, one of said members being movably mounted and the other being fixedly mounted on the respective part carrying the same, said movable member having a portion engaging said fixed member and provided with a portion for restricting rotation between said bed frame and said carriage from extended to folded position, said restricting portion of said movable member being brought into operative engagement with said fixed member as an incident to the tipping of said carriage toward the bed frame, and said restricting portion being ineffective upon the normal folding of said bed frame.

5. In a roller bed, the combinationof a bed frame and a portable carriage on which said bed frame is pivotally mounted so as to be adjustable from vertical folded position to horizontal extended position, a safety device for limiting tipping of the carriage inwardly over the adjacent end of the bed frame when the later is in extended position, said safety device comprising a stop member carried by one of said parts, and a link pivoted to the other part and having a slot for receiving said stop member and in which slot said stop member is free to move relative to the link during normal folding or unfolding movementof the bed frame relative to the carriage, said slot being formed with an offset part adapted to receive said stop to limit relative movement of the stop and link when the carriage tips inwardly over the bed frame, thereby to limit such tipping of the carriage.

6. In a roller bed, the combination of a bed frame and a portable carriage on which said bed frame is pivotally mounted so as to be adjustable from vertical folded position to horizontal extended position, and a safety device operative when the bed is in extended position to limit tipping of the carriage inwardly over the adjacent end of the bed frame, said device comprising a pair of normally slidably interengaging members mounted respectively on said bed frame and on said carriage, one of said members being pivotally mounted and the other being fixed- 1y mounted on the respective part carrying the same, said pivoted member having a portion engaging said fixed member and provided with a portion for restricting rotation between said bed frame and said carriage from extended to folded position, said restricting portion of said pivoted member being brought by gravity into operative engagement with said fixed member as'an incident to the tipping of said carriage toward the bed frame, and said restricting portion being retained by gravity out of operative engagement with said fixed member upon the normal folding of said bed frame.

GEORGE W. BARNES. 

